


Presenting Patchwork

by DollyPop



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Canon Het Relationship, F/M, Gift Fic, Gift Giving, Pre-Canon, Teen Romance, Teen Years, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:00:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6676975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DollyPop/pseuds/DollyPop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spirit’s comments about Stein’s interest in Marie being one that was absolutely <i>not</i> scientific were wrong. Absolutely and totally and completely wrong. 100%. 1000%. Any percent to the nth power wrong wrong wrong.</p>
<p>But, then again, why was Stein so invested in what to get Marie for her birthday if it was <i>purely</i> scientific?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Presenting Patchwork

After extensive testing, Stein finally determined that Google was absolutely useless. What was the point of a search engine if it couldn’t offer up any answers? Was typing in “What does a girl of approximately fifteen years of age enjoy for her birthday?” not personalized enough? The results were either entirely unhelpful or all too inappropriate. Besides which, though he had little understanding of what Marie would like for her birthday, he at least knew what she would most definitely _not_ want.

He wasn’t good at this sort of thing. Presents and emotions and all that sappy shit were in Spirit’s domain. Actually, anything having to do with anyone of any gender was Spirit’s domain, now that Stein thinks about it. For all his teasing about Spirit attempting to become the next Casanova, the boy actually had a relatively decent grasp on what other people felt. At first, Stein tried to chalk it up to Spirit’s wavelength manipulating ability, but he doubts it, considering he can actually see souls and he’s still absolutely clueless in regards to this sentimentality thing.

Try as hard as Stein might, he just couldn’t understand the more delicate and personal side to emotions.

He understood serotonin, dopamine. He knew how emotions took place in the human body, the nerves and neurons and synaptic pathways.

But everything else? Eeeeeh.

_Anyone_ else? Double eeeeeh.

And Marie Mjolnir in particular? Forget it.

She cycled through emotions at a rate _anyone_ would find both impressive and slightly terrifying, responses he was well aware of regarding Marie, and one minute she’d be smiling and happy, looking at him with her eyes crinkled from how wide her grin was, and the next moment, she’d be furious, her hand ready to transform into a hammer and wail someone through a wall.

She was…complicated. A variable he couldn’t control, one he had interest in, in a purely scientific regard. Spirit’s comments about Stein’s interest in Marie being one that was _absolutely_ not scientific were wrong. Absolutely and totally and completely wrong. 100%. 1000%. Any percent to the nth power wrong wrong wrong.

_So_ wrong.

But, then again, why _was_ he so invested in what to get her for her birthday if it was purely scientific? 

It was just a day, the same as any other. The temperature was mild, there was nothing particularly special about it save for the fact that it was the day that Marie Mjolnir, only person to ever consistently defend him and genuinely feel safe and happy around him, was brought into the world.

Okay, so maybe that was why he was invested.

One website suggested that a fool proof plan was chocolate. Though, looking back, his father only got his mother chocolates on anniversaries and Valentine’s Day: never her birthday. Looking back on the somewhat sparse memories of his parents’ material bestowing was near pointless: his father was getting a gift for his mother, and that dynamic was not even remotely similar to the one Stein had with Marie, no matter what Spirit said.

Sighing, Stein went back to the drawing board. He supposed he would have to go through the process of elimination, instead. The web was full of things NOT to get: electronics such as washing machines and vacuums, as she would simply take offense, lingerie or clothes in general unless absolutely certain of her size. Too large and she would believe he thought her big. Too small and she feels bad for not being able to fit in the garment. And when Marie felt bad, she was a hurricane of emotions and a sad face, and Stein didn’t want to admit that he was all too affected by Marie’s unhappiness. Every time she was in bad spirits, he was, as well.

Hard pass.

Jewelry was an easy one, if not impersonal. Besides which, he didn’t want to walk into shops and look around for something. He’d prefer to make it just so he didn’t have to interact with shop keepers who asked prying questions, and Marie didn’t really wear jewelry, besides. No rings or earrings, and not even a necklace around her throat. And, even if she did, he didn’t have the time to go through all the steps needed to make it, or have the silver shipped to him.

As he scrolled through yet another list, he couldn’t help but feel irritated at himself. Why had he waited until the last possible moment to find something for her birthday? He wracked his mind. Was it that he had forgotten?

Somewhat. But he remembered sporadically and had told himself to get to work on finding her something that she might enjoy. Was it simple laziness? A bit. He was, after all, someone who worked smarter, not harder.

Mostly, however, he was just baffled. And nervous. And baffled. What did Marie want? He knew her, knew her soul, knew the way she grinned at him and talked to him and what she wanted for the future, but he hadn’t the faintest idea what to get her for her birthday.

And, furthermore, he didn’t know _why_ he cared _so_ deeply. For Spirit, sometimes, he forgot and shrugged it off, giving the other boy a twenty and telling him to go wild. Other times, he simply threw him some half-assed present that he thought up on the fly.

But Marie had always been so nice to him, and her wavelength was warm, and her eyes were kind. She never called him a freak or a loser or a weirdo. She didn’t fear for her life when around him, trusted him with everything, had complete faith in him. And, besides, all her gifts were always so thoughtful when it was his birthday. Though he didn’t appreciate the not so surprising surprise parties, he did like the fact that, somewhere, someone cared enough to put in that effort.

Engraved scalpels, anatomically correct heart cufflinks, a full chemistry set. Marie never half assed anything, and he would be dismayed if he simply tossed her a jar of nail polish and called it a day. Yes, it was her fault, he reasoned. If she was less loving and overwhelmingly, wholesomely good, he wouldn’t be in such an irritating predicament.

Then, as he scrolled down, he saw it.

Not too impersonal that she would be offended, but certainly personal enough that she would be flattered. Not too much effort that he would be ready to lobotomize himself, but certainly enough that she would appreciate it. And, it was certainly to her tastes. If there was anything Marie loved, it was soft, fluffy things.

Why hadn’t he thought of a stuffed animal before? Stuffed with cotton, of course, as opposed to sawdust. He presumed she wouldn’t appreciate anything under the field of taxidermy, though he was somewhat curious to see if he could successfully preserve an animal after he cut it open.

But that was a thought for a different day. He had less than a few hours to make the damn thing, as simply buying one would be a massive cop-out. Plus, it would give him a chance to practice his stitches. A good doctor couldn’t do sloppy work, after all.

Yes, that was what he’d do.

Now, where did he put his old t-shirts?

* * *

It took him fourteen hours, one sleepless night, too many cups of coffee, enough old clothes to make at least seven blankets, thirteen attempts, and a few too many curses, but he’d finally gotten it right. Or, as right as it could be on such short notice. The button eyes gleamed, shiny and black, and the nose was a luminous pink pearl he had found on a necklace likely left behind from one of Spirit’s old one night stands. He had hand stitched the mouth into a grin that was a little too demented to be completely innocent, but considering he was using his own face as reference, he decided to give it a pass.

He didn’t have proper materials for the actual body of the bear, and so, the majority of it more resembled quiltwork, made from patches and scraps, and only somewhat cuddly. Certainly, it was lumpy, not even remotely close to expertly done. There was no fur, either, and from the reference pictures he had found on the internet, teddy bears at least had some sort of clothing on.

Perhaps Marie would find a naked teddy bear indecent. He didn’t know. He didn’t want to risk messing up.

Sighing, he reached for his pile of scraps, though his fingers almost missed the cloth. He’d pricked his thumb and other fingers with the needle more times than he could count, resulting in pinpricks of blood that had forced him to start over. His hands were practically all covered in band aids, making some of the stitchwork along the legs and torso sloppy.

For a moment, he wondered if he should even bother giving it to her, as he didn’t even have a box to put it in. Marie had always been someone who appreciated the homemade, but it wasn’t the highest quality item in the world. It was, after all, his first try at making something so. . .sentimental.  

Perhaps she would appreciate the effort?

Fuck. It was too late to back down, now.

He sat down in front of his computer, looking at the pattern for a turtleneck online and got to sewing.

When the needle jabbed through his bandaid and pricked him once more, he only sighed.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The party Azusa threw for Marie was as meticulously organized as it could possibly be. No big surprise considering it was Queen of the Committee, of all people. And Stein was standing around awkwardly in the corner, wondering if it would be in poor taste to simply leave.

Unlike with _his_ parties, where there was only Naigus and Sid, Spirit, Azusa, and, of course, Marie, Marie’s birthday party was far larger considering she was the sweetheart of the school. Almost all of Class Crescent Moon had showed up, and she had a massive pile of presents on the other side of the room. Marie’s twinkling laugh reached his ears and he turned to look at her, taking in her glowing face, her wide smile.

No wonder she was so well liked. Marie was nothing like him: she didn’t brood, she didn’t send kids to the infirmary for no good reason other than wanting to pick a fight like he did, she was always ready to help, she carried the faint glow of sunlight about her all the time, warming everyone who was around her from head to heels.

“Admiring from afar, lover boy?” he heard from beside him and Stein groaned, turning to look at Spirit, who was grinning mischievously, seemingly proud at having found his reclusive Meister, who had been hiding out.

“Just thinking of whether Marie would appreciate a live dissection for her birthday. Are you offering yourself, Spirit?” Stein asked, his glasses no doubt catching the light and glinting.

He noticed how Spirit gulped, raising both hands in the universal gesture for peace, though one hand was busy holding a red Solo cup. “Ah, haha, Stein, there’s really no need for that, you know?”

“I’m sure Marie would find it fascinating, Senpai.”

Spirit forced out another nervous laugh, taking a huge gulp from his cup of questionable liquid, and Stein let the matter sit for the moment. Besides, the threat was all air: he had made the decision not to bring a scalpel to the party. Azusa would surely chew him out for it and he didn’t feel like listening to that damn brat for a good hour.

“So,” Spirit broke in, his smile far less lecherous this time, “what did you get her? I’m surprised you even showed up! You were locked up in your room all day yesterday.”

“Does it matter? You likely won’t be conscious after she sees what _you_ got her.”

Spirit laughed once more, his grin widening. “Aw, c’mon. Every girl needs some…stress relief.”

Stein shook his head, knowing that Marie would likely just punch Spirit in the face, her eyes closed in mortification when she opened the box Spirit had shoved his “gift” into. Really, his weapon should get some common sense: giving Marie Mjolnir a sex toy would only ensure a trip to the ER after she got over her initial shock. And Stein _would_ look forward to administering stitches if it weren’t for the fact that his hands, curled in his pockets, weren’t covered in even more bandages than Spirit would be.

“Anyway, did you even say happy birthday?” Spirit asked, looking at him with something peculiar in his eyes. “Or are you gonna mope in the corner until everyone else leaves and she thinks you don’t care?”

“Fuck off,” Stein said, slumping. The lack of sleep mixed with his pounding headache over the massive party was making him more irritable than usual, and if there was anyone he didn’t want to talk to, it was Spirit. The boy was already a a headache and a half: Stein didn’t need that on top of his already mounting annoyance.

“Alright, alright, Mr. Incredible Sulk. But at least hand deliver that gift you kept all hush hush. It’ll probably make her day,” Spirit said, rolling his eyes and slinking away to, no doubt, hit on some random girl in front of Kamiko Rei in a cheap attempt to garner her attention.

Stein sighed, slumping against the wall, contemplating sneaking out of the damn house just as he snuck in, simply so he could get away from the noise. But when he looked up and spotted Marie smiling and laughing and glowing, he figured he could stick around.

If just for a little bit.

* * *

It was only ten minutes later than Marie had finally spotted him. Not that he made it easy on her considering after Spirit had located him, he’d made his way into the kitchen and slumped over at the table. No one was there after they brought out the cake at the beginning, and he figured if anyone walked in, he could simply glare at them until they backed out of the door once again.

Which was what he was intent on doing when he heard the door open. He’d lifted his head, ready to frown before he spotted Marie, her cheeks pink and her yellow dress billowing, her expression surprised as she saw him.

“Franken!” she said, closing the door behind her and shutting off the sound of the rest of the party. “I didn’t know you came!”

He blinked at her, likely owlishly, before he awkwardly shrugged, but Marie was already grinning and stepping forward, pulling out a chair and plopping down.

“When did you get here?” she asked, the birthday girl tiara that Kami had thrown on her slipping down slightly.

“Cake cutting,” he replied, slumping down into the chair.

“Oh,” she said, reaching up and adjusting the crown, the silence filling up the room. It was only because Marie knew him, was accustomed to his odd habits and his general dislike of being around others that she didn’t make any other comment regarding him being in the kitchen or not interacting with anyone.

He looked to the side, clenching his fists in his pockets experimentally as though to check if the pricks on his fingers had finally healed. No such luck.

“I didn’t see a gift from you, so I just assumed you didn’t come,” she said, and when he looked at her, he could see how her soul was hopeful.

“I didn’t bring one,” he replied, simply, and he watched her soul wilt though she strained a smile.

“That’s okay, I’m just glad you’re here,” she said, looking down and twiddling with her fingers. His lips curled downward when he saw the sadness in her soul. Anyone else and he would have been happy to have fooled them, grinning widely at their expectations.

But not Marie.

“It’s at the lab,” he blurted out, feeling somewhat foolish for how fast his speech was. What was it about Marie that made him so…soft?

Her head whipped up, her eyes wide, and the tiara nearly slipped once more. “What?”

“Your…present.”

“You…got me a gift?”

He shrugged once again, awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. “It’s your birthday,” was all he answered her with before he could feel her soul radiating, washing over him with a warm blast of positivity and she sprang up out of her seat, her hands reaching out for him.

“Well, let’s go, then!” she said, giddy.

“What? Now?”

“Yes, now!”

“But…your party,” he stuttered, forced to his feet by Marie’s sheer strength.

This time, she was the one who shrugged. “They won’t miss me,” she said nonchalantly, and considering the faint scent of alcohol that was coming off of Spirit’s cup, undoubtedly because someone had spiked the punch, he assumed she was right. “Besides, the lab is like 5 minutes away! We’ll be back before they notice.”

“Marie-“

“You can’t tell me you got me a present and then hide it from me, Franken,” Marie said, her laugh soft and, if he squinted, he could almost make out what looked like a blush over her face.

So he went quietly as she pulled him along.

And, he supposed she was right: no one really noticed them slip out of the house. Not while Queen of the Committee Chairman was breathing fire, on a witch hunt to see who tossed vodka into the Kool Aid.

* * *

Marie hadn’t let go of his arm the entire time, and he supposed it was a good thing it was dark as he led her to the lab, because if she looked down and noticed the state his hands were in, she’d surely grow concerned. As it was, she had only chattered the entire four and a half minute walk about how strange it felt to be turning fifteen, that she didn’t really feel any different. And he had replied with the changes in body chemistry a human being experiences as they grow, to which she’d only giggled good naturedly.

That was the thing, with Marie: she only ever found him endearing. Never weird, like most people would.

Which was why, he supposed, he was nervous as he fished out a key from his pockets when they got to the house he shared with Spirit, as dark and gloomy and creepy as it was. He could feel Marie’s eyes on him, so he turned slightly to hide his hands.

As the door creaked open, making an ominous noise, she bounded in without a second thought, no fear anywhere in her, in her soul or her wavelength, no physical signs of it, either.

Marie was…baffling. But he was glad that she was. Birds of a feather flocked together, he supposed, and if they were both strange, at least he felt less alone. She made him feel…human. Normal. He had long stopped waiting for her to turn on him.

Which was, he assumed, why he cared so much to keep her gift a secret. Why he wanted to keep it in the lab so it wasn’t on parade in front of the class, just one more random present in her pile.

He flicked on the light switch, shutting the door behind him and jammed his hands back in his pockets.

“It’s in my room.”

At that, he felt Marie’s soul shift, and when she turned to him, there was slightly more pink on her face than usual. He lifted a single brow.

“Y-your room?” she asked, her soul fluttering. But not in fear. In…something else.

“Yes. I didn’t want Spirit finding it.”

“O-oh,” she said, blinking at him, and he rolled his eyes as he walked in the direction of his closed door, hearing Marie scamper after him. He didn’t want to acknowledge why he was nervous, why his own soul was fluttering like hers was, but when he opened the door and stepped in, making his way to his desk and snatching up the teddy bear he had made, he heard her gasp and for a heart stopping moment, he hoped it was in happiness.

As he turned, he schooled his features, taking in how Marie was standing at his doorway, her hand having come up to her mouth as her eyes trained on the teddy bear.

“…Happy birthday?” he said, his voice raising up as though in question, and he cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed at how his voice almost cracked. Slowly, Marie walked forward, her hand dropping from her mouth and extending out to the teddy bear, her expression morphed into something he could only describe as awe.

“You…made this?”

He nodded after a moment, holding out the stuffed toy, and Marie grasped hold of it with one hand as her other came to one of his bandaged fingers, doing what he could only call caressing his wounded hand.

“Marie?”

But she didn’t stop, her soft, warm fingers working over the bandages on his hand, and something inside of him warmed up.

He couldn’t prepare himself in time for when Marie pitched herself forward, arms throwing themselves around him and her face pressing against his chest. With Marie, he was most aware of his growth spurt. Before, he had been barely half an inch taller than her. Now, he could look down at the top of her head, and she was barely hitting the middle of his sternum even in her favorite heeled shoes, and it always made him happy, that she made him feel so tall. Now, he cannot determine if it’s happiness over feeling tall or happiness over something else that he was feeling, but he was undoubtedly pleased.

Stein took a single step back, having been barreled into, but caught himself before he fell, and his bewildered expression greeted her as she glanced up at him, her smile wider than it had been all night.

“I love it! Thank you so much!” she said, hugging him tighter. As her arms unlatched from him, he thought that was that, but, with Marie, nothing was ever as he expected it.

For a moment, as she stood up on tip toes, he couldn’t think, didn’t analyze what he was doing as he leaned down to her, his body working without his mind thinking of what to do, first. There was something freeing about that, something pleasurable about letting himself do what he wanted without having to analyze each movement beforehand.

But it was also dangerous. Anyone else would call it dangerous.

Why then did he only bring a hand to her back, steadying her? Why was it that everyone, even he, would be wary of himself when he wasn’t overanalyzing but Marie was so trusting?

Why did he only touch her with concern?

When she unlatched herself from his waist, instead throwing her arms around his neck, jumping up so she could reach, he blamed his blank mind for how his heart throbbed, wondering what illness he must have had to cause such sudden cardiac arrhythmia. Marie pulled him down and he bent to her, willingly, no resistance in him at all as her wavelength hit him full blast, her entire body glowing gold, the teddy bear hitting up against his back as she held onto it with just one hand, the other moving his head down and toward her face.

“Thank you,” she said, again, and he opened his mouth, stuttering out “Y-you’re welcome,” his eyes wide as she guided him to her. He took in her smile, curved warm and overwhelmingly tender over her face, her eyes crinkled in joy, her wavelength filtered against him, skin to skin, right before she kissed his cheek and hooked her chin over his shoulder, hugging him closer.

And in the haze of his mind as he was hit with the fact that he was so stupidly, inexplicably _happy_ , he figured that, maybe, _just maybe_ , Google wasn’t absolutely worthless, after all.


End file.
